Who wrote Habakkuk, and when?
Habakkuk. About 609–605 BC, as Babylon rose to power.
The book is attributed to Habakkuk, a prophet about whom the Bible tells us almost nothing beyond his name. The note at the end of chapter 3, addressed to the choir director, has led some to think he served among the temple musicians, but that is a guess. Most scholars date the book to around 609 to 605 BC. That was a turbulent time: good King Josiah had died in battle in 609 BC, and Babylon defeated Egypt at Carchemish in 605 BC to become the dominant power. The book speaks of the Babylonians as a rising force that God is about to use, which fits that window well. A few scholars have suggested other dates, but the traditional setting in the last years of Judah is widely accepted.
Who was Habakkuk written to?
Judah in its last years, and every believer who asks God why.
Habakkuk spoke to Judah in its final decades before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. King Josiah's reforms had briefly cleaned up worship, but after his death the nation slid back quickly. Habakkuk describes a society where the law was ignored, justice never won, and the violent had the upper hand (see chapter 1). Ordinary believers who wanted to do right felt surrounded. Unlike most prophets, Habakkuk does not address the people directly; he speaks to God on their behalf and lets them overhear. So the book's first audience was really any faithful person in Judah who was asking the same question as the prophet: why does God allow this? That is also why the book has spoken so strongly to believers ever since.
What was happening at the time?
Judah was full of violence and wrong. Habakkuk asks how long God will do nothing. God answers that he is raising up the Babylonians to judge Judah, which horrifies the prophet even more: how can a holy God use a nation more wicked than Judah? God’s reply is that the proud will fall and the righteous will live by faith. The book ends with a psalm of trust even if the fig tree does not blossom.
Why was Habakkuk written?
To wrestle honestly with God’s ways and arrive at faith that rejoices in him regardless of circumstances.
Habakkuk was written to show that honest questions can be brought to God, and that faith is the answer God gives. The prophet asks why God ignores wrongdoing in Judah. God replies that Babylon is coming to judge it. Habakkuk then asks how a holy God can use a nation even worse than Judah. God's second answer is the heart of the book: the proud will fall, but the righteous person will live by faith (see chapter 2). The book wants its readers to trust God's timing, to wait for his justice, and to rejoice in him even when crops fail and everything is stripped away (see chapter 3). In the wider story of the Bible, Paul quotes Habakkuk's key line in Romans and Galatians as a summary of how anyone is made right with God.
How to read Habakkuk today
Read the book as a conversation in three rounds. In chapter 1 the prophet complains and God answers. In chapter 2 God tells him to write the vision down and wait. In chapter 3 the prophet prays a psalm that moves from fear to joy. Watch how Habakkuk's tone changes even though his circumstances do not; that shift is the point. Do not skip the five woes in chapter 2 because they seem harsh; they explain why God's judgment on Babylon is fair. Do not force the book to answer every question about suffering; it leaves some mystery in place and asks you to trust anyway. As you read, bring God one thing that confuses or angers you about the world, and ask him to teach you to wait and to rejoice in him regardless.
The key verse in Habakkuk
Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
Passages worth knowing in Habakkuk
- Habakkuk 1
How long, O LORD?
Two complaints and a shocking answer.
- Habakkuk 2:1-4
The just shall live by faith
Quoted in Romans, Galatians and Hebrews.
- Habakkuk 2:14
The earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD
The goal of history.
- Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree may not blossom
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.
The main themes of Habakkuk
- Questioning God
- Living by faith
- God’s use of nations
- Joy in hardship
- God’s glory
An outline of Habakkuk
| Section | Chapters |
|---|---|
| Habakkuk’s complaints and God’s answers | 1–2 |
| Habakkuk’s prayer | 3 |